Griddled Halloumi With Herb Salad & Hot-Breads

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A tasty vegetarian dish from the heart of the Mediterranean. Ideal as a starter, light meal, or as part of a mezze.

Serves 8

Preparation time: 20 minutes (plus proving & marinating time)

Cooking time: 20 minutes

What You’ll Need:

For the hot-breads:

½ x 500g pack white bread mix

1 tbsp Greek olive oil

Plain flour, for dusting

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 tbsp mixed seeds, such as poppy, sesame and fennel

For the Halloumi:

2 x 225g blocks halloumi cheese, cut into 24 slices

1 red chilli, deseeded & finely chopped

1tbsp fresh roughly chopped oregano (or 1 tsp dried)

1 lemon, finely zested and juiced

1 tbsp Greek olive oil

For the salad:

2 x 30g pack fresh mint

2 x 35g pack fresh flat leaf parsley

2 x 30g pack fresh coriander

1 tbsp Greek olive oil

Lemon juice, salt and pepper, to taste

What To Do:

First make the bread. Make up the mix according to pack instructions adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 220°C, 200°C fan oven, gas mark 7.Knead the risen dough to ‘knock back’ then divide it into 8 pieces. On a floured surface, roll the pieces out into 10cm ovals, then transfer to 2 large, floured, non-stick baking trays.

Brush with the egg white and scatter with the mixed seeds. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden. Serve warm or make up to 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container, then reheat to serve.

Meanwhile place all the halloumi ingredients into a dish and marinate for 15-30 minutes. Warm a griddle pan over a high heat then add the halloumi, in batches if necessary, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden.

For the salad, remove the leaves and place into a bowl. Discard the stalks (or use them to flavour stock). Drizzle over the oil (or use the marinade from the halloumi) and season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve the salad with the halloumi and hot-breads on the side.